To Break a Heart of Ice
by Natalie9653
Summary: Kagome goes through the well early one day and ends up with Rin as the only two survivors of a raiding party. After the initial distrust, hate, and aloofness, Sesshomaru begins to respect Kagome and a little something more. Taken over from Namoru Kazahaki
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hey everyone! I'm taking this story over from Namoru Kazahaki, with his permission, so the first few chapters will seem similar to you, but I have changed a few things in them. I hope you enjoy reading the story by my words as much as you did by his! Thanks!

And, to make sure no one thinks otherwise, I don't own Inu Yasha and the original plot idea is credited to Namoru Kazahaki. These first five chapters will be posted fairly quickly as well, but, I'm sorry to say, any following chapters will be slightly further spread apart. Bear with me, please!

Chapter 1

"But how are they getting past the sentries? If the sentries were dead, then I would understand, but our guards have reported no sightings…" Sesshomaru sat in one of the many tents that littered the surrounding hills, only half listening to his generals speculate on the intrusion of their fort.

It was the second month of the war against the South, and no one was gaining the upper hand. Sesshomaru, Lord of the West, was currently with a smaller detachment of his army, one of the many that were deployed along the front. They were located near a small village by the forest named after his half-breed brother, Inu Yasha, where most of the provisions his soldiers used were kept.

'_Inu Yasha's Forest…It is only for Rin's sake that I am anywhere near him…'_ Recently, Sesshomaru had decided to let Rin have more contact with other humans. But seeing as his troops consisted of demons, he had to choose the village that Inu Yasha usually resided, which was the only one acceptably close to the war front where he was located.

Sesshomaru smirked when he remembered his half-brother's reaction to his arrival. After demanding to know what the elder demon was doing near _his_ forest, Inu Yasha had left the village, staying as far away from it as possible between meal times.

Though he felt contempt for the hanyou, he was forced to realize that the boy's companions were a good influence Rin.

"My Lord!" gasped a youkai that burst into the tent, breaking into Sesshomaru's thoughts as he entered. "My Lord Sesshomaru, they are launching another attack two miles up, between our two camps and are pushing us out of the forest!"

"Kyo, gather the men still here. Naguri, take some scouts and try to get an exact number of enemy present. Watch out for any surprises." Sesshomaru commanded before standing. "I will head directly to the front."

_!_

Kagome walked cheerfully out of her house as she hummed softly to herself. Her long black hair waved gently on a breeze that carried with it the scents of the incense her grandfather burned at their family shrine. On her back she carried a bulging yellow back pack filled with her sleeping back, toiletry, lighter, matches, flashlight, food and other necessities and oddities she was to take with her to the Feudal Era.

Kagome drifted into her memories as she remembered her recent life's history. It had been two years since her first fall down the well and those years had been filled with fighting evil youkai and sensing the often-tainted Shikon no Tama shards. At seventeen, Kagome had become familiar with the bow held loosely in her hand as well as the arrows in the quiver on her back. Both were comforting weights to remind herself of her responsibilities.

The door to the shrine's well house loomed as she approached, bringing her out of her reverie. Opening the doors and stepping in, Kagome looked at the well before her and thought of her family before walking down the stairs and slipping over the side of the well to fall gracefully to the era at the other end.

When she looked up from her spot on the bottom of the well, Kagome was greeted by the clear blue skies of the Feudal Era. It was something that she loved about this time; the unpolluted and undamaged atmosphere and lands as compared to her smog filled home land of Tokyo.

Another thing that greeted the young adult was the lack of chatter between her friends. _'Great… Now I have to walk to the village alone. But that's what I get for leaving early for once.'_ Kagome's thoughts were concealed as she hefted her backpack onto her back and made sure her bow and quiver were securely mounted as she used the vines that climbed the side of the structure to climb out.

Unfortunately, she seemed to pick the weakest of the bunch. It had held up to her testing tugs but did not maintain its strength for long as it snapped, sending her back to the bottom of the well with a dusty crash.

Naguri froze as he heard a snapping sound in the clearing ahead of him and moved to investigate. His eyes darted around the clearing he had just reached the edge of and he saw no one, though his nose told him there was a human nearby where there hadn't been before.

The demon moved to the lip of the abandoned well and peered over the edge at the pained girl below. "Onna, how did you get down there? And what has happened to your clothes?" Naguri asked, eyeing her cautiously. _'A miko? And what strange clothes she wears! What kind of trap is this?'_

"Oh, hey! I was looking over the side and I fell. Kaede sent me from the village for herbs. Could you help me out?"

'_Something is wrong here… This young miko smells of a lie, but she knows of the local priestess, Kaede…'_ Reaching his decision, Naguri reached down into the well and, with a firm grasp on Kagome's hand, hauled her out of her container. "What was your name, onna?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Kagome." She replied gratefully after she was removed and dusted the dirt from the back of her skirt. "What is yours?"

"I am Naguri, Master Scout of the 2nd Western Regiment." His proud look at his full title was turned to a wary one as she removed her backpack from her back and dropped it to the ground beside her.

"Western regiment? Oh, wow. You're in the army?" _'What is he doing here? Isn't Sesshomaru the Lord of the West? Did he send his men after the Tetsusaiga?'_ Kagome thought nervously at the mention of the proximity of the western army.

'_She smells anxious. Is she trying to avoid us, I wonder? And why? She lied about where she came from, too. Something is out of place with this onna. An odd clothed, lying miko within walking distance of the army.' _With a flash of light off his suddenly visible claws, the girl's black hair was pulled back and her neck bared to his lethal talons.

Kagome froze as she felt the sharp tips at the sensitive skin of her neck and the pain at the back of her skull from her hair being pulled away from her head. "Hey! What are you doing?!"

"I should be the one to ask that of you, Onna. You lie to me of your origins and intents and are nervous when I mention my Lord's army. He removed his hand from her hair to strip her of her quiver and bow and used his foot to remove her backpack from her side. "You will prove to me that you know Kaede. If she knows not of you, it will be your blood."

Without waiting for her consent, Naguri pushed her in the direction of the village where Kaede was tending to the wounded soldiers. Keeping a tight hand on the back of her neck in forced submission, Naguri found the old priestess working with his Lord's young keep to tend to a set of claw scratches on one of the downed soldiers.

"Priestess, I found this miko outside the village at the well. She says you had knowledge of her position." The demon said with a questioning voice.

The elder woman looked up while Rin continued to work. "Ah, Kagome… Ye seem to attract trouble well. All is well with her, Master Scout, you may release her." She turned back to the wounded demon as Naguri released his captive and left silently to resume his scouting duties.

'_I should report this to Lord Sesshomaru. A strange miko indeed. And the force surrounding her… A force I haven't felt since the vermin Naraku inhabited the Western lands."_ Such thoughts filled Naguri's head as he left the tent.

_!_

"Do you feel that, Kaede? A large group approaches." Kagome said as she tensed. No sound was heard. The animals and usual chatter she was accustomed to hearing in the Feudal Era was not present.

"Aye, child. There have been many raiding parties from the South during this war, and I fear another has been launched. Go to the house three down, get the guards and sound the alarm. I fear, though, that only the villagers are left to answer it…" Kaede's voice held anger toward the Southern troops but still trembled with sadness over the assured loss of villagers' lives.

Kagome rose with alarm and grabbed her bow and quiver and sprinted out the door of the hut. She raised the alarm and watched as the villagers raced from their own huts with weapons in hand. The raiding party—for there was nothing else it could have been—had come closer yet and she sensed strong youkai immersed among the lower level demons.

"Kagome, is everything going to be all right?"

Kagome smiled down at the young, innocent face of Rin. She couldn't bring herself to lie to the child. "Don't worry. I'll protect you from them, Rin. Just wait, we'll show them not to mess with our village again." She smiled to encourage the younger girl.

After nearly a minute of standing in wait, the youkai that had been concealed by the leaves burst from the forest with a combined ferocious yell that made Rin cower behind her bow wielding protector. The party was even worse than predicted.

As the horde of demons charged the village, those with the equipment let off the first volley or arrows and seven youkai fell to the sharp spears. Without bothering themselves with the loss of their comrades, the other youkai continued forward, rushing the line of outnumbered villagers.

When her weapon quickly lost effectiveness as the demons came closer, Kagome dropped her bow and reached awkwardly for the light sword she had carried around on her hip since her involvement in the war. Though she was inexperienced with the sharp object, she did her best to charge the blade with her holy energy as she swung at the bull demon charged toward her. She missed where she was aiming but did manage to cut a burning slash down his side. Her powers did work beyond arrows, it seemed. The wounded youkai let out a raged howl and turned its head to tear into her side with one of its horns.

Kagome stumbled back and fell to the ground as her sword was swiped from her hands. Her hazel eyes widened as the claws came at her again. Closing her eyes, she braced herself for the cutting pain of the strike, but it never came.

She looked up and saw the two guards from the alarm hut standing over her protectively in front of the now-dead bull youkai.

"Onna, take Lord Sesshomaru's charge and retreat," one of the guards growled as he blocked an axe strike and lunged forward in a counter attack.

"But, the battle—" Kagome started.

"Cannot be waged by you," the second guard ordered her. "I can't make it very far with these wounds, but I can fight." Kagome looked at his obviously-broken leg. "My Lord's charge must be taken from here. Protect the girl; I will cover your retreat."

Looking behind herself, Kagome saw Rin watching the battle from her hidden position behind a rack of farming equipment that had been hastily put aside by the villagers in the face of attack. The child's wide and fearful eyes made up her mind for her. She reached ahead and placed a hand on the guard's shoulder. With a slight charge of pink light, energy moved from her to the soldier without harming him with her holy powers.

She didn't stop to take in his surprised and thankful look as she moved forward to scoop up her quiver, bow, and sword before doing the same to the second guard who had just finished killing the demon that had charged after the bull youkai was slain. "Good luck."

Kagome ran to Rin's hiding spot and was surprised when the girl launched herself out to hug Kagome's waist. "I thought you were dead for sure!" Kagome's eyes widened before softening.

"I'm fine, kiddo. We need to go find another hiding place though, okay? We're going into the forest to wait for Sesshomaru." Kagome told the child as she sheathed her sword and pulled an arrow from her quiver.

The two ran toward the forest, trying to stay away from the other invading youkai. The forest was silent around them as Kagome strained her senses to pick up any members of the raiding party still in the trees. In a group, it was easy to sense youkai approach, but when individual youkai were involved, things got harder. Kagome was so preoccupied with staying away from any youkai that she didn't notice Rin stumbling ahead of her until she fell.

"Oh, Kami! Rin, are you alright?" Kagome asked worriedly as she fell to her knees beside the girl. The miko mentally berated herself for not noticing Rin's fatigue. As Kagome looked closer, there seemed to be something else wrong beyond simple tiredness. Rin's usually cheerful face was tight with pain and she looked paler than usual.

"Rin's back hurts." Rin said, sitting on an uplifted root and trying to look at her back. "Rin can't see it."

"It's okay Rin. Here, let me see." Kagome winced as the girl dropped the shoulders of her kimono and bared the large cut running down one of her shoulder blades. It wasn't too deep, but it was long, stretching from the scapula to her waist line. The cut was bleeding sluggishly as Kagome took off her shirt and used it for strips to bind to wound as best she could, thankful that she had worn a chemise today.

Standing up, Kagome winced as her legs protested, sore from fighting and running as she looked around for medicinal herbs she could use on herself and Rin. She spotted some herbs and remembered that they were good for stopping blood loss and infection as she gathered them.

'_Though no herb will help us if we don't get out of here.'_ Then it hit her: She had no idea where 'here' was.

AN: I'm not going to ask you at the end of every chapter to review because you all know that if you want to say something, the drop down box is right at the end of the story. But I have to admit to every reader, I don't like reviews that only say "Update soon" or "Please update." They are senseless and not really a help to me as an author, just an ego boost. So thank you for being anxious to read the story, but restrain yourself from such reviews. Thank you.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: As I said before, these first five will seem very similar to Namoru Kazahaki's but with minor changes. Thank you to Kaghomaru for being the first to review and for the encouragement.

Kagome continued to gather herbs from the foliage as she tried to remember what path she and Rin had taken through the woods. But she couldn't remember. They needed to get out though, that was for sure. The main question now was if anyone would bother to track the scent of two human women deep into the woods.

The longer she thought about it, the worse her situation seemed. Rin had a wound that was most likely already infected, and Kagome was injured as well. The two had no water, food, or materials. All they had in their possession at that moment was the clothes they wore and Kagome's two weapons.

"Kagome-chan?" Rin asked softly, startling Kagome out of her reverie.

"Yes, Rin?" Kagome replied to the young girl, trying to clear her mind of her worrisome thoughts.

"Rin is hungry. Can we eat?" The girl's guileless eyes plead with the older girl.

"Sure, Rin. Let's get to somewhere a little bit safer and then I'll get some food, okay?" Rin nodded and the two moved ahead. About fifteen feet ahead, they found a rock that looked to be a good place to sit. "Sit down please, Rin. Would you please show me your back again?" The kimono dropped once again, revealing the strips of shirt binding the wound. "I'm going to put some herbs on your back, Rin. They'll help with the pain, okay?"

Rin held still as the plants were applied beneath the strips of cloth and Rin giggled when they started to take effect. "They feel weird."

Kagome tightened the makeshift bandages on the child's back and on her side. "Okay, I'm going to get us some food now. I want you to stay right here and call out to me if you have any problems. But don't go anywhere. If you're good for me, I'll give you a present when we get back to the village." Her voice was firm and slow to make sure Rin understood. But she lightened her voice when she thought of giving the girl a present, essentially bribing the young person.

"Kagome-chan, is the village still there?" Kagome stopped her forward walk and sighed; She had hoped to avoid this until the image of attacking youkai was fading from Rin's mind. _'So much for that idea.'_ "No, Rin, I'm sorry. Everything goes away after a while, even clothing, homes, and people. But there are always good things that come to make up for the bad things."

"Like Sesshomaru-sama?"

Kagome blinked. _'How does she relate _good_ things with _Sesshomaru_?'_

"Sesshomaru-sama saved Rin last time her village was attacked, just like Kagome-chan saved her this time!"

"Don't worry, Rin. We'll make sure to find Sesshomaru after we get out of this and you can tell him all about him being a good thing in your life."

"Don't worry, Kagome," Rin parroted back. "Sesshomaru-sama will find us and help us." Rin smiled up at Kagome, her innocent face full of trust for the demon lord.

'_Why does Sesshomaru care for a human girl like her, I wonder?'_

"Well, until he comes, I'll take care of you." Kagome continued her walk away from the rock, doing her best to keep silent as she hunted. She kept her eye out for water sources and familiar ground as well.

Her efforts were rewarded when she caught a rabbit and found some berries she deemed edible. Quickly and efficiently, Kagome skinned and cleaned the rabbit, having seen her usual traveling companions doing it for their evening meals. She loaded the pelt with berries and started to return to the rock where she had started from at a brisk pace. Her thoughts were on Rin.

'_Why would such a sweet girl stay with someone as cold as him, and why would he save a human?' _Kagome continued to ponder as her thoughts drifted to the Sesshomaru she knew: hateful, self-absorbed, power hungry, and cold. The Sesshomaru she knew would never save a human.

'_Which means I've been wrong about him all this time. There has to some other side to him, something inside beyond that cold front he puts up around us.' _Kagome had always believed that all people were good inside. Maybe Sesshomaru was too.

'_His good is just a _lot_ deeper inside…' _Kagome was started out of her thoughts as she sensed a youkai nearby. _'In the direction Rin is supposed to be!'_

The thought jerked Kagome into action as she dropped the rabbit, pelt, and berries before running forward as silently as she could with her bow at the ready. If anything happened to Rin, she could never forgive herself. No harm would come to the child while under the miko's care.

Just before Kagome burst into the makeshift campsite they had set up, Rin screamed Kagome's name. As the older of the two girls shoved branches and leaves out of her way, she saw a bear youkai entering the area, stalking forward as Rin backed away. The girl had not been harmed, thankfully.

With a quick motion, an arrow was charged with holy power and heading towards the invading demon. However the bear moved to the side and the arrow only grazed its fore leg, causing it to become angry. The youkai charged at the threat to its meal.

Kagome hurriedly loaded her bow again, but she barely got the bow a quarter of the way up before the bear was upon her, knocking the bow and loaded arrow out of her hands. She quickly grabbed another arrow and stabbed the youkai in the shoulder before she scrambled away, another arrow already in her hands.

But the bear youkai turned away from her to stalk back towards Rin, who had been watching the fight from her position beside one of the larger trees near them. Kagome tried to jump in between the two, but the bear only turned and scratched her leg, leaving four deep gouges across her thigh before turning back to its prey.

Heaving a deep breath against the pain, Kagome jumped on the bear's back and shoved the charged arrow through the thing's throat. The bear reared and she jumped off, thankfully diverting its attention away from Rin. Unfortunately the arrow only burned the demon because it lacked the force to kill it all together and the horrid creature turned to charge her once again. As she backed away, she stumbled over a fallen branch she hadn't noticed before and the youkai struck her, scratches matching those on her thigh marring her stomach as she slammed into a tree. She felt an immense pain in her ribs as her vision blurred and her skull pounded.

"Rin…" Kagome breathed as she slipped into unconsciousness. There was nothing further she could do from there.

_!_

Sesshomaru looked with fury at the scene before him. He had arrived after the battle to check on Rin as well as to see what his master scout had called an 'abnormal miko.' Instead, he had returned to find the village destroyed.

Slowly, Sesshomaru walked into the village, watching as a group of soldiers that had returned with him began to put out the fires. There had only been two survivors, the priestess Kaede and one of his guards, both of whom were in bad condition. The guard would die before the next day, he was sure, and the elder woman was in a coma.

Sesshomaru made his way to the hut where Rin had stayed with the priestess and only found the dead men of the infirmary, some half eaten by the dead youkai around them. Sniffing the air lightly, he realized that she hadn't been in the hut at the time of the battle.

"Sesshomaru!" The Lord of the West turned and saw his hanyou brother standing at the entrance to the hut with his hand on Tetsusaiga. "What the hell did you do? Decided to take out another village for the fun of it, huh?! You bastard! What did you do with Kagome?!"

"Calm yourself, half breed, I was not the one to attack. I will, however, kill anyone who took part in this attack when I find them. Look at the bodies of the Southern soldiers in here." He gestured around to the dead bodies of those that had been injured before the fight. "I would never attack a village under my protection with no provocation." Sesshomaru continued before catching Rin's scent on the air and following it. "Now, I have more important matters to attend to…"

After staring at his brother for a moment, Inu Yasha looked at the carnage around him. Sniffing the air, he quickly found the sweet scent of Kagome before following it to a site near a dead soldier. The soldier had a broken leg and a bite out his shoulder but the youkai that had inflicted the damage lay dead, still partially attached to the dead demon. A small dark splash of liquid was what drew the dog demon's gaze. It was Kagome's blood!

Had he looked passed that single splash, he would have found the trail of spilt blood leading away from the battle site, but he was overwhelmed by the sadness he felt. _'I failed.'_ Standing slowly, Inu Yasha slowly began the trek back to where he, Miroku, Shippo, Sango, and Kirara had set up camp. His mind replayed all the moments he had spent with Kagome, and he tried to figure out when the girl had become some important to him.

_!_

Sesshomaru picked up his pace cautiously as he headed towards the forest, finding the occasion drops of blood on the ground that belonged to Rin, and another, sweet scent that he couldn't place.

Sure that he had the right trail, Sesshomaru lifted himself in a cloud of his poison smoke and followed the two scents into the forest. He sped up when he smelled the fresh scent of blood but 

stopped immediately when he felt the flare of holy powers and easily set himself down on a tree branch.

He looked down and frowned at the scene that greeted him. His Rin was leaning against a tree, looking in horror at the fight being waged in front of her. The miko he had seen before with his half breed brother was the source of the sweet smell that permeated the air and was fighting with a bear youkai. He watched as the miko fought and lost to the creature as she was slammed into a tree. He jumped down, ready to take Rin back to the camp when two things happened.

Looking at Rin, he saw the tears in her eyes when the miko was sent into the tree, stopping him in his tracks. His charge was crying, something she had never done since he had resurrected her with the help of Tensaiga. The second event spurred him into action, his poison whips slicing the dying bear youkai into unrecognizable bits. _'The miko's last thoughts were for Rin? Was the miko protecting her?'_

Sesshomaru watched as the miko's eyes fluttered closed as she passed out against the tree before turning back to Rin. No matter what her intentions had been, the miko would almost definitely attack him when she awoke, and he didn't want to waste his time. "Rin, come."

Sesshomaru began to walk away before Rin asked him, "What about Kagome-chan?" Her voice quavered, slicing at him, though he ignored it.

'_Kagome…why does that name seem so familiar…' _

"She can take care of herself." Sesshomaru replied, wondering why Rin cared so much to have disobeyed his command. "Come," He repeated before turning away again.

"But Kagome saved Rin!" Rin pouted as she began to follow Sesshomaru.

Stopping, Sesshomaru sighed mentally before turning back. It had been different when he had assumed the miko had helped Rin, but his honor would not let him leave her there when he knew the miko had saved his young charge.

Bending down, Sesshomaru picked Kagome up, mentally debating whether or not to throw her over his shoulder, before he shifted her and began walking away while carrying her bridal style. _'With her wounds, there is really no other way to hold her without getting blood on myself.' _Out of the corner of his eye, he the regal lord saw Rin's tears had dried and that she was now skipping happily next to him, smiling even as she watched the ground for things that could trip her.

Sesshomaru couldn't help but notice the sweet smell that was the miko in his arms. He had never smelled anything like her scent except in the palace garden before it was burned. He inhaled deeply, taking in her scent while looking out for a place to rest and herbs to help Rin's recovery. Though he knew nothing of what herbs helped the different ailments of the body, he could match the scents coming off the two girls' wounds to the plants he passed on his way. He had every intention of letting the miko go once she awoke so he would need to know how to help his younger companion heal.

Finding a clearing, Sesshomaru set Kagome down on the grass before leaving to hunt, finding himself thinking about the miko. She had the strangest clothing, it only went down to mid thigh and her shirt was tight around her figure.

Her figure. He had to admit he had found it pleasing, though he did his best to ignore it. He hadn't noticed until the wind had picked up and the clothing covering her legs had been pushed up by the wind, giving him a full view of her legs. Few humans had such a form, and even few types of demonesses had such figures.

Reminding himself that he was a demon and was therefore disgusted by all human life forms, the graceful man shook his long silver hair in disdain at his thoughts.

But her scent, he couldn't get it out of his mind, and had caught himself inhaling her scent deeply. She smelled of flowers, jasmine, and some other scent he couldn't place. It was so…appealing.

Sesshomaru jerked himself out of his reverie, growling mildly to himself, something he surely wouldn't have done had he been in the presence of another. There were more important things at hand other than questioning the validity of his decision to be celibate these past years. He had to decide what to do with the miko, and also had to figure out why her name was so familiar.

It was obvious he couldn't just let her leave as he had originally intended. During the walk, it had become obvious how attached Rin was to the miko as she had asked several times if the miko had woken up yet. And there was the question about the clothing, fabric that he had never encountered with very fine sewing; it didn't seem to be of this land.

Even more, this miko had helped Rin instead of saving herself. Having tracked them into the woods, Sesshomaru could tell that Rin held the miko back from escaping the destruction of the village faster with less risk to her own life. Never had Sesshomaru met a human who would save a stranger so. During the walk back towards the army, Sesshomaru realized that the scent of the bear youkai was also on Rin, and not just the miko. Meaning the bear youkai had noticed Rin first, and then Kagome entered, obviously trying to protect Ri-

Damn, he was doing it again. Shaking his head to clear it of strange miko's and their attributes, Sesshomaru extended his senses and ran off toward the deer he sensed, killing it, and bringing it back with the ease borne of his demon skills.

"Ohh…" Kagome moaned as she woke up. Her head was pounding, her chest felt terrible, and the wounds on her body hurt.

"Kagome-chan is awake!" Rin danced around her as she woke up, trying to get her bearings.

"Rin, don't move too much with that wound on your back. You should be resting." Kagome scolded as a foreboding feeling began to fill her. Rin shouldn't be here, she should be safe somewhere else.

"Rin feels fine!" Rin chirped as she stopped circling Kagome to run around the clearing.

"Rin, what happened to the bear youkai?" Kagome asked as she realized the reason for the foreboding feeling; she was not in the same place where she had been before she passed out, and _that _meant someone moved her, but if not Rin, then who?

"Sesshomaru-sama came! See, Sesshomaru-sama always comes." Rin smiled happily as Sesshomaru entered the clearing, a dead deer slung over his shoulder.

"Miko, how are your injuries?" Sesshomaru ordered as he tossed the deer onto the ground.

"I'm doing better than I was before…Where are we going?" Kagome asked trying to read his eyes.

Ignoring her question, he asked a question that had been bothering him. "Why did you help Rin?"

"At the village, one of her guards gave her to me and told me to run, he stayed behind for me to save the-" pausing, Kagome frowned. No, that wasn't right. Why did she save Rin? "I think… Rin is a child. She deserves to have a life, she still hasn't really experienced everything there is to experience, and to die so young is…sad." Kagome shrugged hopelessly. "I guess I saved her because… I could."

Sesshomaru stared at her, his mind buzzing. _'This human has honor, she could have left Rin easily after she was out if sight. She could have not fought the bear and ran away, saving herself. And a human being this unselfish to save just because they could…amazing. Maybe the human race is not as polluted with wrong thoughts and doings as I originally thought.'_

"I will cook tonight, since you are in no position to, but do not expect such treatment from me regularly." Sesshomaru stated as he skinned the deer in a flash and began cutting it into strips. "Rin, get some sticks for a fire."

Kagome watched silently as she wondered what the cold lord was thinking, what he had been thinking when he had saved her- _Sesshomaru _saving _her._ Definitely not the same cold-hearted man that had tried to kill her, still cold, but definitely not cold or cruel. He was even cooking for her!

'_I wonder what happened to him to make him so cold… he must be lonely the way he is with only Rin. I know his parents are dead, but does he have a mate?'_ Watching Sesshomaru, she looked over his well-built body. _'Whoever is his mate is lucky…beautiful face, tall, graceful and not to mention downright gorgeous, I wouldn't mind-' _Kagome shook her head as she realized where her thoughts were headed. What was she thinking? This was the man that had attacked her group on more than one occasion. He was the enemy, right? Or at least one form of the enemy.

Sesshomaru turned from where he cooked as he smelled the shifting emotions floating through with the sweet scent of the miko: sadness, light envy, then interest and embarrassment. Curious, Sesshomaru turned his head around to glance at the miko, his curiosity replaced with amusement as he saw her flushed face looking at him, the embarrassment heightening as his corner of his lips twitched into a momentary smirk.

Turning back, Sesshomaru used the small flint and tinder he carried around to start a fire, before carefully putting the strips of meat onto sticks to burn. As he watched the food cook, Sesshomaru's thoughts once again drifted to Kagome. _What had she been thinking about?_ He wondered as he poked the fire, arranging the sticks.

'_She was sad…and she was looking at me? Was she sad for me? Why would she care?'_ The thought of someone else caring for him was foreign. No one had cared for him since his mother had passed away. His father had never shown much interest in him and he had generally cared for himself. While his first thought was contempt, contempt for a _human _thinking they should care for him, but inside, it felt… nice in a strange way.

Shaking his head slightly, Sesshomaru moved the strips of meat around before moving on in his inspection of the miko's earlier feelings. Envy, why had she been envious of him? The only reason he could think of was the respect others gave him, his wealth and power but so far Kagome had shown no interest in such things. _'Though all humans are greedy.'_ But that still didn't fit: There was a difference between envy and jealousy.

Moving on again, Sesshomaru thought about the last two scents Kagome had given off. Embarrassment and interest. _'Not hard to guess what she had been thinking about there.' _When he had turned around, Kagome had been staring at him, a clear indication that she had been thinking about him, that she had been aroused over him. The thought of Kagome thinking of him sexually brought a smirk to his lips before the meat was ready.

Taking the meat off of the sticks, Sesshomaru gave some to Kagome and Rin before leaving the rest near the fire to conserve warmth before turning to watch Kagome and Rin. He felt slightly jealous as Rin ate and chatted with Kagome before brushing the feeling aside and focusing on Kagome.

After using some large leaves to bring Kagome the water to treat the wound she and Rin had and to drink, it became obvious that Kagome, no matter how hard she tried, was doing a _very _poor 

job of treating her wounds. With a sigh, Sesshomaru stood and approached Kagome, _'It would not do for the miko to die of infection after I saved her.'_ Sesshomaru thought as he took the strip of cloth she was using. Even as he thought this, he wondered why he wasn't as disgusted with the thought of close contact with the black-haired beauty as he should be.

"Miko, cease your struggling." Sesshomaru ordered as he lay her down with her body in his lap, her head resting on his knee so he could better access the wounds. Having unwrapped the wounds, the blood from them made Sesshomaru heady with its sweet scent.

Carefully, Sesshomaru soaked the cloth into the water before continuing to cleanse the wounds that covered Kagome's side and stomach, trying to be gentler than he usually was; there was no telling how weak a human was in this condition.

Kagome relaxed under Sesshomaru's ministrations. _'He's being so nice…why would he be nice to me?' _Kagome wondered as she lay comfortably in his lap, wincing every so often as Sesshomaru had to take some piece of herb or cloth out of her wound. It was so comfortable, lying here in his lap with him tending to her wounds. '_A hot guy like him, taking care of me like this…yes, I could definitely get used to this.' _Kagome blushed as her thoughts took another less innocent turn, her blush darkening as she saw Sesshomaru watching her.

'_She smells nice when she's aroused…'_ Sesshomaru thought as he finished cleaning her wounds. Regretting the fact he hadn't brought bandages, Sesshomaru wrapped her up in her old ones, loving the feel of her body beneath his hands. Sesshomaru had stopped trying to fight thinking about the miko; it tired him too much and took even more energy and attention away from his surroundings. But one thing he could _not_ do, was let this attraction extend beyond his thoughts. As ruler of the West, he had a duty to his lands. _'Though mother always said to follow my heart…'_


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Is something sparking between the full-blooded youkai and miko girl? If so, is it interest, or just flaming tempers? Hope you enjoy, I'll have the next chapter up within the next three days or so.

"Miko," Kagome was brought out of her thoughts as Sesshomaru called to her. "I am done."

"Oh!" Kagome slowly sat back up against the tree she had been sitting against earlier, shivering from the lack of warmth that the white clothed demon had provided.

It had already been dark when Sesshomaru had started caring for her wounds and the night sky was now filled with constellations. The air was slightly chilly, and Kagome watched as Sesshomaru gave Rin a layer from his outfit to sleep in. Kagome nestled down into the ground, praying fervently that she wouldn't wake up with a cold, before falling asleep.

Sesshomaru sat alone, near the prone form of Rin as he looked into the night sky, his senses alert, but no longer tense. Slowly, he began to meditate clearing his mind of all distractions.

- - - - -

It had taken Inu Yasha a while to find Miroku and Sango back at the camp. When he had returned, he had found a destroyed campsite, and had panicked. Before long, he had found the scent of Kirara taking to the air, and had finally found the trail of weeping mushrooms that was a Shippo trademark.

When he had found them, he had found Miroku slightly bruised but other than that all right. Then he had had to explain why he had returned on his own, and why Kagome wasn't with him.

"What do you mean you think she's dead?!" Sango interrupted, her eyes filled with worry.

"What do you mean 'what do I mean?' I mean dead! As in your family dead, you know? Dead!" Inu Yasha retorted, his nerves already near the end. When he had found their dear friends blood spilled on the village ground, he had felt overwhelmed by sorrow and now his travel companions doubted him?

Miroku laid a hand on Sango's shoulder as she flinched at the mention of her family. Shooting Inu Yasha a look, Miroku asked, "Inu Yasha, what happened? How is it you came to the conclusion she is dead?"

Trying to calm himself down, Inu Yasha began to explain what he had seen. "When I went to pick her up at the well, I saw fire at the village. Well, when I went to look I saw Sesshomaru—"

"He didn't!" Sango gasped.

"If you would let me finish," Inu Yasha growled, "He didn't. He said that the South had raided the village, killing almost everyone. The only person still alive is Kaede and she's out. I also found Kagome's blood there."

"Silence greeted his re-telling of the story as each member of the party tried to digest the information. Miroku was remembering how Kagome had been the heart of the group, holding them all together. Sango mourned for the lost of another member of her new family, Kagome, and Inu Yasha had already come to grips with her death. That she would never smile at him again, the brilliant smile that could make his day better.

Of all of them, Shippo took it hardest. Kagome had been there for him when the others hadn't. Kagome had saved him from the life of an orphan and taken him in, giving him friends and a family. 

Kagome had given him his new life filled with happiness and now she was gone, the woman who had stepped in for his mother in his life.

The group stayed there, each member silently viewing the memories of Kagome that the retained, trying to cope with her death. Finally, Miroku cleared his throat. "I feel like…Kagome would have wanted us to go on, to complete the jewel even if she died. If was her task here in the Feudal Era, the least we can do is finish it for her."

"Keh." Was Inu Yasha's response as he looked around.

Sango sniffed as she stood, dusting her clothing off. "Let's go then. If we hurry, that shard we heard about can't move that far."

Slowly and silently, the group left leaving Inu Yasha as he looked back in the direction of the village with openly revealed sorrow in his golden eyes. _'Goodbye, Kagome_._'_

- - - - -

It was near dawn when Sesshomaru began to smell the sadness radiating off of Kagome. Turning his head slightly, he watched Kagome as she turned in her sleep.

"Ki-Kikyo…?" Kagome muttered as she slept. "Inu Yasha…" The way she said his brother's name clenched at his heart, the sadness immense. _'Inu Yasha…why you leave a woman like this for a woman like that I will never know. Not that many things you do make sense.' _

It was then Sesshomaru recognized the miko and almost kicked himself at having missed the obvious. The woman before him was _that_ Kagome, Inu Yasha's Kagome. He had almost let himself have feelings for a woman that belonged to his brother. The feeling almost made him retch in disgust knowing that Inu Yasha had gotten something else he wanted, had gotten another item that he did not deserve.

Sesshomaru looked away, trying to sort out his feelings for the miko. Why did his heart hurt when he saw her in pain? He had seen many people in pain, many people with sadness in their eyes. Finally he found the difference. _'This miko is sad but still forgives and has given up trying to change things…others are desperate or hateful…' _

But somehow, he wanted this miko more than he had wanted Tetsusaiga, more than anything else he had wanted recently. This miko made him act like a jealous child, if only in his mind.

It was later that day that Sesshomaru discovered Kagome also made him act like a child outwardly when he was around her.

Sesshomaru woke Kagome and Rin up an hour later, waiting as they both ate the leftover meat from the previous day and drank the last of the water he had brought to treat the wounds with. "We're leaving now." Sesshomaru announced after checking over the wounds of both Kagome and Rin. Sesshomaru stood and was about to lift Kagome before she gave him a glare, as if saying 'I can do this on my own!'. He watched in amusement as Kagome attempted to stand on her own, failing in the attempt.

Silently, Sesshomaru bent down and picked her up again, settling her into his arms as she struggled against him. "Hey, I can walk you know!"

"Usually you could, but at the moment your wounds do not allow for it." Sesshomaru replied, starting to walk.

He couldn't help but notice the spike in her scent as the anger in her picked up. Surprised at himself, he realized that he wasn't mad at her for protesting, but rather looking forward to hear the rest of it. He had almost forgotten his childhood love of arguing, and as he grew, the only person whom he argued with had been Inu Yasha, and arguing with him had no...finesse, no such thing as verbal sparring. Inu Yasha's wordplay was as bad as his swordplay.

"You could at least _ask_ before picking me up! I'm not some sort of luggage to carry around wherever you want to go!" Kagome began as stopped struggling, but not yet relaxing.

"So, would you rather I leave you here? Would you rather I have left you with the bear youkai and just taken Rin? Tell me miko." Sesshomaru was mildly surprised at himself again as he baited her. _'Yes, it's been a long time since I have any 'fun' like this.'_

"No! But you could show some respect for my opinion, show some respect for my body and my feelings! You can't just go and pick people up randomly!" Kagome argued, relaxing more.

_'I definitely have a lot of respect for your body.'_ Sesshomaru thought, but instead he said, "I would show respect for your feelings, opinion, and body if it would change anything. You needed to get medical attention, and you would not have gotten it on the forest floor, so I am taking you to the infirmary. Regardless of your opinion, body, and feelings you still need medical attention and that is the best place for it."

"I _know_ that but-damn, you're so infuriating!" Kagome gave up, frustrated.

"What a mouth miko, you must be getting that from overexposure to my pathetic half-brother." Sesshomaru replied, still baiting her.

"Wow, and what mind you have, you can't even remember my name, because I assure you it is _not_ miko!" Kagome retorted, the tension of the argument changing into something...more relaxing as she sparred with Sesshomaru verbally.

"I know your name, _Kagome_, I just don't use it. You respond to miko, and that's enough for Sesshomaru." Sesshomaru continued to walk as he talked, keeping an eye on Rin who was picking flowers as she skipped along.

"Yeah, insult the injured miko. When I get my strength back I'm going to make you sorry!" Kagome shifted a bit as her anger began to abate. Looking up into Sesshomaru's eyes, Kagome thought she saw a hint on playfulness behind them before he replied,

"You might recover faster if you saved the energy you use to shout, I assure you shouting as you do requires massive amounts of energy. If you recover faster, I won't have to carry so heavy a load."

Kagome gasped in indignation at his comment, "Didn't you parents teach you manners? Never insult a lady's weight, and do you _always_ have to insult me?"

Instead of replying, Sesshomaru gave her an odd look before silence returned to their march. _'What was I doing, talking to her like that... why does being around her make me want to make her angry. To argue with her as if I am only a child?'_ Sesshomaru was immersed in his thoughts as he walked, occasionally glancing down at the woman in his arms

_'Why was Sesshomaru... teasing me? It was like he was flirting with me.'_ Kagome blushed at this thought. _'That look in his eye earlier, he was enjoying it too, teasing me. I've never seen Sesshomaru like this, though he still has that same demeanor around him.'_

'_And I didn't really get mad at him, just a little bit angry...were it Inu Yasha saying those things I definitely would've sat him, especially after that heavy comment. I am not heavy!'_

'_But he's so gentle... Yesterday, when he was helping me he was so gentle, and he even cooked for me. And now he's holding me... But why is he like this around me? I could name just about every feature I've wanted in a guy, and Sesshomaru would have all of them: Nice, gentle, tall, handsome, intelligent... and some bonuses to; strong, graceful, gorgeous...'_

Kagome blushed again at this, but continued her examination._ 'But if I also listed things that I never wanted in a guy, Sesshomaru fits those too: cold, arrogant, egotistical, cruel, overbearing, disrespectful... The list could go on!'_

'_So which one is the real him?'_


	4. Chapter 4

Sesshomaru continued to walk, his thoughts straying to the miko that he carried. He was still confused about how she made him feel, the emotions that she brought to the surface in him. She made him… almost _playful_. Though it was a word he was loath to use in reference to himself; That was the only way to put it. He hadn't indulged in such childish acts as teasing since he had been a pup. In fact, he had never experienced the urge to. He had always been Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western, a feared Taiyoukai who answered to none and showed no weakness.

Before long, Sesshomaru, Rin, and Kagome arrived at the camp. Dropping Kagome off at the infirmary along with Rin, Sesshomaru made his way to where his generals were, intent on getting caught up. While he had missed almost a day of the war, it was unlikely that anything had occurred that had truly required his attention.

"Is there any change in the war?" Sesshomaru asked as he slipped into the commander's tent.

"Ah, Yes. We have finally created a document that contains records of the Southern Lords travel. You may want to look at that. Naguri would present this material best." A man with a general outfit gestured toward Naguri with the document he was holding.

The scout master accepted the document, but left it closed. "We have finally completed the document you asked for of the Southern Lord's travels. There is a slight discrepancy though. I received a missive from one of your spies at the Southern Palace of a trip he had to make in utmost secrecy; We couldn't even discern the destination. Afterwards he did re-appear and seems to have begun acting differently, visiting places he hasn't been to in years.

"Which brings me to something else," Naguri looked around. "In my report on the miko, I described a strange, strong aura surrounding her, something more than the normal reiki; something I had only felt around Naraku. Well, I believe that was from the presence of Shikon shards, not from any connection between the miko and Naraku. Other than these two pieces of information, there have only been minor skirmishes along the front."

Sesshomaru stood still for a moment before leaving, "I will think on these matters. We should be able to use this connection to our advantage."

Sesshomaru walked around the camp, taking in the condition of the soldiers while trying to think of a way to use the Southern Lord's odd behavior… and the Shikon shards. _'The shards.' _

That was right, Kagome and her odd group of friends hunted for Shikon shards. _'Kagome can sense Shikon shards too.' _Sesshomaru's thoughts went back into his memory of the fight where he had still only had a single arm, and had accepted the human arm the Naraku had provided.

He could remember Kagome clearly pointing to where the shard had been. She had been able to not only sense but also see the shard. _'If that is so, she could easily find the Southern Lord.' _Finding the hiding place of the Southern Lord had been impossible so far. They were only able to track his movements in the camp of the Southern Army. Oftentimes he went missing to some hidden abode. _'But now that will all change.' _Turning on his heel, Sesshomaru started towards the infirmary.

"Kagome, how are ye?" Kagome blinked as she adjusted to her new surroundings.

"Kaede!" She cried, "You're okay!" Kagome tried to sit up but Kaede stopped her.

"Yes, I was taken out of the fight just about right after ye were able to escape. I don't remember how, but they feared I would never wake from the slumber I was in. Tch! No respect for an elder's strength these days." Kagome grinned as Kaede continued.

"I meant to teach ye how to heal with your holy powers before this, but there was no chance, no time." Kaede shifted into a more comfortable position before unbinding the fresh bandages. "Now child, relax and open ye'self to your energy. Careful now, don't build it up as ye do when ye fire an arrow. Rather, bathe in it, let it seep out slowly and just surround ye."

Kaede waited until Kagome was bathed in a pink light before continuing. "Now slowly- slowly let your thoughts drift to your wound. Let your energy move into your wound, then let go while thinking of healing it."

"Yes, that's it." Kaede complimented as the energy Kagome had surrounding her slowly seeped away and her wounds healed. "I'll teach ye more advanced healing later, types that don't require such a long process or so much energy, how to heal infection, and also healing in battle. Don't try to get up yet, right now ye should still be a bit tired from blood loss and loss of energy."

Kaede stood up. "Wait, Kaede." Kagome said, gaining the older woman's attention. "Can I see Rin, is she alright?"

"She's alright, much better than ye are. The slice on her back was shallower than we thought, and not infected at all. I'll go get her." Kagome responded

Kagome waited, thinking about the new healing process that she had learned, also wondering how Inu Yasha and everyone else were. _'They're probably worried sick! Inu Yasha's going to kill me for being so late…'_

"Kagome-chan!" Rin cried as she ran in. "Kagome-chan, your cut on your tummy is gone! Are you better? Can you come play with Rin?"

Kagome smiled at the little ball of energy before her. "Yes, in a bit. Are those flowers that you have?"

"Yes! I'm making a necklace from them for you!" Rin cried happily as she took the flowers and continued on making her necklace, sitting at the foot of Kagome's temporary bed.

After a moment of silence, Kagome tried to strike up a conversation with the elder woman. "So Kaede, how have things been in the village? How are the repairs coming along?"

At this, Kaede seemed even older than she was. "I… am the only one left. Everyone else was killed, except you two."

Kagome gasped, "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't know."

"It's okay child. Come; Let us talk about something happier. How is the future? Your family?" Kaede asked, turning the conversation around.

"It's okay I guess. Grandpa kept trying to make me tell him a story about the Western Lord—he's fascinated for some reason— and I really don't have much to tell him other than some rather negative moments. Oh! And Souta got a new game to play." Kagome talked about her time, feeling more at ease until she saw Rin watching her. "Yes Rin? Is everything okay?"

"Kagome, you're from the future?" Rin asked, wonder in her innocent eyes.

'_Oops…'_ "Yes, but you can't tell anyone okay? Even Sesshomaru-sama. This is my secret, but it can be yours too, alright?" Kagome asked.

"Sure!" Rin continued to braid flowers, the future forgotten for the time being.

Just then, Sesshomaru made his entrance. "Miko, I need to speak with you." He glanced around the room. "Alone."

'_Oh my god… did Sesshomaru just hear that?'_ "Kagome's insides clenched with fear as Kaede ushered Rin out of the small tent she had been housed in.

Sesshomaru, in fact had heard what Kagome had said, but chose to ignore it. He would need time to think about what to do with such information. "I have need of your talents, miko. For several months we have tried to find where the Southern Lord hides when he is recovering from injuries. Recently, we discovered he has Shikon shards and is associated with Naraku. You will accompany me into the Southern lands to find out where he hides when he must recover."

"I'll do it."

"Good, we leave once you are healed, and the after the Southern Lord is injured." Sesshomaru turned to leave, but stopped when Kagome began to talk.

"But— we need to set up some ground rules first." Kagome stated.

Sesshomaru watched her warily. "What type of 'ground rules' would you want? I will allow them if they are acceptable."

"Okay, first of all, while we travel together you call me by my name. Ka-go-me. Not miko. Secondly, you will— even if the outcome will be the same— treat me with at least some respect. Third—and this one is almost like the second one— we will make decisions together, not you by yourself. Lastly— well, this one is more of a favor—I get to talk to my friends before I leave— and no fighting with Inu Yasha!"

"Those terms are agreeable, though I will not consult you on all decisions. There might be some emergency that arises. In that case, you will listen to what I say. There will be no time to argue. Otherwise, I see no need for further 'ground rules.'

Sesshomaru turned to leave again, only to be stopped by Kagome. "When can we go see my friends?"

"When you are fit enough, Miko." Sesshomaru replied

"Hey, hey! You agreed to call me by name, remember?" Sesshomaru smirked in response to her outburst.

"Those rules are for the trip, M_iko,_ and until we start, I fully intend to ignore every rule we have set down." Kagome gaped at him, _'That damn, scheming bastard!' _

Kagome struggled to get her anger under control; It would do no good right now if she got mad at him. "Can we go now? I don't want to wait too long; they're probably already worried for me."

"Can you walk, miko?" Sesshomaru queried, watching as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood shakily. She soon had to sit to hold off the dizziness that accompanied the motion.

"Um…Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked sheepishly. "Can you carry me? I don't want to make them wait any longer. I'll owe you one."

"Owe me one…what?" Sesshomaru asked, confused.

"Owe you a favor…please?"

- - - - -

'_And she has the ability to turn me into a pack animal. How much better could it get?' _Sesshomaru thought sarcastically of the ebony haired girl as he carried her out of the infirmary, heading towards where Inu Yasha was said to be. Without Rin, Sesshomaru was able to travel on his cloud, speeding up their travels.

'_Wow, it's so beautiful up here! The land looks so…pure, and green. Though it is cold…' _Kagome glanced at the thick clothing that Sesshomaru had on, opposed to the priestess clothing she had been given in replacement of her bloodied school uniform. Involuntarily, Kagome shivered, and Sesshomaru sighed. If she got a cold—as humans were prone to do— their schedule could be set back for days.

'_What happened to the days when I traveled alone and tended to no one's needs? This woman is under my jurisdiction, but she has me waiting on her and bowing to her whims too easily.'_ With another sigh, Sesshomaru wrapped his tail around her, sheltering her from the cold as he loosened his supporting arm and gently released his other arm from under her knees.

Kagome gasped as something warm and furry wrapped around her and Sesshomaru forced her to stand up before he held her back against his chest with his right arm just under her bosom. She could feel his body heat radiating into her and leaned further against him, appreciating the warmth.

Kagome inspected the furry object that was currently shielding her from the cold wind. Her slender hand stroked it as she looked over it; wonder coursing through her as she felt how akin to silk the fur felt. Suddenly abashed, she looked up at Sesshomaru's face to see his reaction to her examination, smiling as she realized that he enjoyed what she was doing.

Sesshomaru couldn't believe the woman in his arms. Never before had a woman stroked his tail before; no one had dared since they were too scared of him in the first place. But this miko wasn't scared of him at all. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to enjoy the petting motions that Kagome inflicted upon his tail.

- - - - -

When Sesshomaru and Kagome approached at the camp Kagome's friends had set up, it was a sorry sight. No one was interacting cheerfully, and everyone seemed too immersed in his or her own thoughts. Miroku wasn't groping Sango, Shippo and Inu Yasha weren't fighting, and while Miroku, Sango, and Shippo were next to each other, none of them talked. Inu Yasha was in a tree, obviously extremely preoccupied with his thoughts if he couldn't sense their arrival.

"Sesshomaru will not fight the half-breed, but if he attacks I will not be held accountable." Sesshomaru stated as he and Kagome continued to approach the group.

"Kagome smiled warmly up at him. "That's all I asked for." She said softly, "Thanks." Sesshomaru nodded his acknowledgement of her gratitude, his minds eye fixed on the smile she had given him.

'_So innocent, like Rin, and yet so intelligent too. Her smile…could make anyone forget their troubles.' _It was the second time Sesshomaru had ever encountered someone who could smile so sincerely, with such actual happiness that it drew even him in, the first being his young charge.

It was Inu Yasha who first noticed their approach, despite his earlier preoccupation. "Kagome!" He shouted, before noticing Sesshomaru. "Sesshomaru, you bastard, what have you done to her?" Sango and Miroku were up on their feet by then, their weapons held loosely as they watched Kagome approach.

"You bastard, WHAT DID YOU DO!?" Inu Yasha repeated, Tetsusaiga drawn.

"I did not come here to talk to you. I have done nothing to the miko." Sesshomaru answered as he and Kagome landed, his tail leaving her body.

"Inu Yasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo!" Kagome cried as she ran toward her friends, smiling, hugging each of them in turn while holding onto Shippo and sitting down, still a little weak. "How are you?"

"Kagome, what happened to you? Inu Yasha said you were killed in an attack on the village!" Sango dramatized, amazement in her. "Did Sesshomaru bring you back to life?"

"What? No, I was never dead. What made him tell you that?, Anyways, I got away with Rin, and then Sesshomaru found us when I was hurt and got me to the soldier's infirmary. I'm still kind of recovering." Kagome revealed.

"Sesshomaru-sama, on behalf of all of us here, I thank you, though Inu Yasha would never say it, for saving our dear friend Kagome's life." The monk inclined his head as Sesshomaru nodded in response, watching the scene unfold.

"Keh! Why would I thank him? He might've saved Kagome but he probably only did it because she was with that little runt that follows him around. Kagome, you can't trust him, no matter how nice he was to you, he's probably trying to use you to get the Tetusaiga!" Inu Yasha warned, his sword sheathed but eyes wary.

"Inu Yasha, how can you say that!? No matter what, he saved me, and I would never steal Tetsusaiga for him, you know that!" Kagome defended, glancing back at the demon lord. "Sesshomaru has been nothing but polite and helpful. If it weren't for him, I _would _be dead!"

"Keh." Kagome sighed, realizing that Inu Yasha wasn't going to accept her word too easily. Kagome spent almost a half hour relating the story of her escape, flight, fight, and then travel with Sesshomaru as well as her promise to help him with her friends. The task over with, Kagome promised to stay in one piece before leaving with Sesshomaru saying she had to get back to help Kaede.

- - - - -

Sesshomaru watched as Kagome interacted with her friends, watching as she smiled and laughed with them, enjoyment plain on her beautiful features. It was obvious she loved and cared for all of them. _'But not for me.' _Sesshomaru frowned as this thought intruded his consciousness and a feeling of tightness constricted his chest slightly. He did not know why, though.

On self-inspection, Sesshomaru realized that he was jealous of her friends! He had been jealous rarely in his life, but he knew the emotion. But to be jealous of her friends would mean that he wanted her attention, her love and her confidence. _'Something that I can never have.' _In the years that Sesshomaru had lived, he knew it was a bad idea to lie to himself about what he wanted though he wanted to rid himself of the thought. _'If you cannot be truthful to yourself, then how can others trust you?' _Yes, he was certain that he wanted the companionship of this girl before him.

Sighing slightly, he reached out for her as it was time to leave. A lone thought rode predominantly in his mind. _'Something that I can never have.'_

An: I am under the belief that Sesshomaru's 'boa' is actually his tail, as are many other people. So for the purpose of this story, it will be his tail. Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

AN: To start, I'd like to apologize for taking so long to update. I realize I told some of you that I should have had this chapter up not long after the last one, but the very next day my puppy destroyed my laptop's power cord. I'm so incredibly sorry for the wait. Please forgive me.

"Hey Sesshomaru, thanks for letting me stay for so long with them." Kagome said, absently stroking his tail again. Kagome was again in Sesshomaru's arms, and was content. While she knew from the strength she felt she could have stood on her own, Kagome preferred it when Sesshomaru held her. Since he had been nice to her, she had given up trying to convince herself that he was as mean as she had previously thought.

Sesshomaru made a sound of acknowledgement. "It would not do well for you to be distracted by them later, so I deemed the time necessary."

"What about your friends?" Kagome asked tentatively. She was genuinely curious about Sesshomaru's friends and wondered what they were like, to be friends with him.

"Sesshomaru has no friends." Sesshomaru replied, not looking at her.

Kagome gasped, surprised by the lack of companions. "Why not?"

"Friends are a weakness."

"How would you know if you've never had any?" Kagome inquired while she craned her neck to look up at his face, searching for emotion.

"I have seen the results enough. Many people die for such things." Sesshomaru glanced down briefly at Kagome's upturned face. "Friends only cause problems."

"How can you be happy without friends, don't you feel lonely?" Sesshomaru could smell the sadness and pity in her scent while she said this. The combination made him want to be sick. _'She pities me? I need not the pity of a human.'_

"I do not live for happiness, I live to become stronger, to protect the Western Lands. I am content." Sesshomaru replied.

"If it weren't for friends, I don't know what I'd live for. I live to be with my friends, and let others be with their friends." Kagome said, still trying to understand Sesshomaru.

"Something I don't suffer." Sesshomaru had once had friends, when he was small but he had learned to keep people away as he grew up.

"So you care about your lands?" Kagome asked again, trying to give Sesshomaru a perspective of what a friend was.

"Yes." Sesshomaru replied.

"Why?"

"It is my duty, something to protect. It is something that belongs to me." Sesshomaru wrapped his tail tighter around Kagome when she shivered.

"Do you like protecting it, can you find peace and comfort there?" Kagome continued to ask questions as she tried to change Sesshomaru's view on friendship.

"I find peace and comfort in my lands, yes. I enjoy it." Sesshomaru continued to reply to Kagome's questions idly, passing the time.

"Would you die to protect it?"

"Yes."

"Your land is kind of like a friend, then. You care about it and protect it, even though it is a liability. Without your lands, you would be free to move and wouldn't have to constantly protect it. You find comfort there, enjoy being there, and would die for it. How is that different from a friend?" Kagome finally reached her point, waiting for Sesshomaru's answer.

Sesshomaru stiffened as he pondered her analogy. _'What is the difference?'_ Sesshomaru had never thought about friendship before, it was simply something that wasn't meant to be because it was a liability. But did that mean that his lands were a liability too? No, he knew they were, but he would never give them up. "I guess…it is not." Sesshomaru said slowly, still processing what Kagome had said.

Kagome smiled up at Sesshomaru, lightening his mood. "Hey, Sesshomaru! You actually talked about yourself. Was it hard?"

"It is a common misconception that I am averse to talking about myself. I am averse to talking to others simply because there are usually better things to do with my time." Sesshomaru clarified.

"Hey Sesshomaru… If I asked you now, what would you say about friendship?" Kagome asked.

"I…would have to think. Many people would take advantage of a friendship from me and use it to their advantage, though I am more open to it than I was." Sesshomaru answered.

"At least that's an improvement. You should really open up more, have more fun. It's very satisfying." Kagome smiled at her small achievement.

"Fun is not something that I indulge myself in, and 'opening up more,' as you call it, is a waste of time" Sesshomaru said, his demeanor calm, as it always seemed to be.

"Oh come on, you've never played a prank on someone before?" Kagome asked.

"When I was young, and such play was acceptable, yes. Since I truly started my training, I have not 'played a prank,' nor had a friend." Sesshomaru returned.

Kagome smiled again. "Then I'll be your friend."

That single statement made Sesshomaru tense. "Why?"

Kagome turned slightly so she could see his face better. "Because everyone needs a friend."

- - - - -

Sesshomaru and Kagome landed, passing the sentries before Sesshomaru carried back to her tent, leaving her there until he was sure she didn't need any more help. "Tomorrow you will train with a sword. I do not expect you to become a good swordsman, only adequate."

Kagome looked up at Sesshomaru sleepily. "Okay." She smiled slightly; she hated always being not able to defend herself, having to rely on Inu Yasha and the others.

"Since there is little time already, you will be trained by me. As good as I am, I can only hope you will learn quickly. I cannot say when we will have to leave." Sesshomaru continued. "We will rise with the sun."

"…" Kagome was fast asleep.

Sesshomaru spent the rest of his time with his back to a tree, meditating. Truthfully, he had always hated sleeping. He felt too uncomfortable, too vulnerable. Meditation had always had the same effect of resting his body and mind, so he used it as a substitute.

Sesshomaru meditated for an hour before standing, going to a nearby clearing that he used for his own training. Slowly, Sesshomaru went over the basic styles in his mind, trying to find one that would help Kagome the most as he warmed up.

Picking one, Sesshomaru began going through the basic steps, making sure he had not forgotten any. Satisfied with his proficiency, Sesshomaru moved onto other forms as he practiced, relaxing as he completed form after form. It had been a long time since Sesshomaru had taught anyone.

- - - - -

Sesshomaru watched as the tip if the sun rounded the horizon, his body against another tree. Slowly, he got up and walked towards the tent where Kagome was. He had talked to Kaede about Kagome's condition, and Kaede said that after about two hours, she should have been fine and that training would not put too much stress upon her.

Sesshomaru entered Kagome's tent, amused by the way Kagome slept. She had pulled the blankets up till they nearly covered her face, as if she was hiding. Her face looked beautiful, peaceful the way she was. Shaking his head to clear it, Sesshomaru tried to wake her.

"Wake up."

"…" The lump known as Kagome shifted slightly, turning away from him. Sesshomaru considered his options carefully, he could keep talking to her, which seemed pointless, drag the covers and possibly get screamed at in front of his men… or he could… _'So I need to have fun more, hm?' _Sesshomaru left the tent, a smirk crossing his face.

"You have one minute to get up, I will be back by then." Sesshomaru said over his shoulder as he left the tent, knowing full well Kagome was _not_ getting up. Walking over to the kitchens, he grabbed a bucket of water and headed back towards Kagome's tent when he confirmed it was cold.

Sesshomaru re-entered Kagome's tent, not disappointed to see her sleeping form still prone on the cot. Smirking, Sesshomaru said, "This is your last warning to get up miko."

"Too early…"

A scream resounded throughout the camp and part of the forest nearby as soldiers who also rose with the sun paused to look at the tent that the sound came from.

"SESSHOMARU I'M GOING TO _KILL _YOU!" Kagome could be heard screaming from inside the tent.

Kagome lunged at Sesshomaru, revenge foremost in her mind as her wet body never fully made contact with his. Her lunge was met by thin air as her outstretched arms were caught and pulled forward, causing Kagome to lose what little balance her lunge had left. Toppling to the ground on her face, she felt Sesshomaru straddling her back.

"Miko, I thought on what you told me yesterday. I think you will be delighted to hear I took your advice, and 'played a prank' on someone." Sesshomaru smirked down at the wet woman lying underneath him as she squirmed.

"I'm going to get you back for that." Kagome said, her voice muffled.

Flipping Kagome onto her stomach, Sesshomaru continued to straddle her waist, biting back a groan as she struggled slightly against him, trying to get him off. "What did you say miko?"

"I'm going get you back for that." Kagome repeated, her shivering gaze meeting his amused one. "I bet you found the coldest bucket of water in the entire camp for this too."

Suddenly, Sesshomaru released her. "Change out of your wet clothes miko, we will begin training shortly after. If you want revenge, that will be the time for it." Sesshomaru turned around as Kagome changed, fighting his growing arousal. He didn't mind sitting on top of her like that, but if he had stayed any longer there was no doubt he would have gotten quite obvious in his physical attraction to her, something he had long since given up fighting.

Kagome changed as he had requested, shivering slightly as the cold morning air hit her wet body as she changed into the training clothes that were beside her bed. "Just you wait, I'm going to get you back so bad…" Kagome vowed as she finished changing. "Lets go."

Sesshomaru led Kagome through the camp, towards the smithy, which also functioned as the armory. Kagome coughed, "What are we doing in here?"

Sesshomaru didn't bother to turn around as he looked through the different swords, ignoring the smoke from the blacksmith. "Unless you are eager to fight with your hands, I suggest you be grateful I am giving you a sword." Sesshomaru took a sword off the wall, finding it satisfactory. "From now on, that sword will not leave your side. If it does, then there will be punishment."

Kagome nodded silently, her earlier ire at Sesshomaru's derogatory actions gone. She was excited to get her first sword. Kagome continued to listen to Sesshomaru as she inspected the sword she had been given. "I will have someone either send for a demonic blade in my palace smithy or have one made before we leave. Since you are a miko, I am interested in seeing how well you channel energy."

"Try this on." Sesshomaru ordered, holding a belt with a knife behind him. He sighed when he saw she wasn't paying attention. Walking back, Sesshomaru began putting the belt on, making Kagome blush at his closeness and physical contact. _'He's being nice again.'_

"It fits." Kagome declared, still slightly red from her earlier contact with Sesshomaru.

"Good, that will be all you need for now. Follow me." Sesshomaru ordered as he walked toward the area where he had trained the night before.

"Can I dry my hair first?" Kagome asked, feeling the wetness soaking through the back of her shirt as she followed.

"We have lost enough time as it is," Sesshomaru replied drawing his sword.

"It's not my fault you got me all wet." Kagome pouted. "One day you're going to wake up with wet hair, just you wait-"

"Defend yourself." Sesshomaru moved toward her, his sword flashing. Kagome yelped and fumbled with her sword, bringing it up in a desperate block. She fell back as the impact of the two swords ran up her arms, watching in horror as Sesshomaru's swing sent her own sword back at her.

Suddenly, she felt a hand wrap around her waist and Toukijin was between her sword and herself. "As a human, never let a youkai get a full swing in without dodging. My sword hit yours when the force I put into it was greatest and your sword was still. While I did not use much force, it was sufficient to push your sword back _because _it was still." Sesshomaru explained, releasing Kagome.

Kagome blushed, remembering how close he had been. The feeling was _much _different when he was facing her and holding her close. "I made a mistake to start so early on swords. We will work on physical training so you can acquire the strength needed for good swordsmanship." Kagome nodded her understanding.

"Are you flexible?" Sesshomaru inquired.

"Yes. Well, I think so." Kagome answered, somewhat nervous.

"Show me." Sesshomaru ordered.

Sheathing her sword, Kagome bent down and touched the ground with her fingertips. Straightening, Kagome sat and performed a variety of stretches, all the while watched by Sesshomaru.

"It seems you will need to go through stretching." Sesshomaru observed. "Reach again." Kagome obeyed from her current position, her legs stretched out in front of her. Without warning, Sesshomaru placed a hand on her back, pushing her farther forward.

Kagome gasped at the sudden pain, trying to get away. "Let me up!" Kagome cried, struggling, her hands no longer reaching forward as Kagome whimpered from the pain.

Sesshomaru smirked. "No. You might as well reach, you're not moving anytime soon miko."

Kagome's entire body was tense as she tried to relax and stretch. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Kagome accused.

Sesshomaru smirked. "Of course."

"I'm so going to get you." Kagome whimpered again Sesshomaru pushed down harder. "If I overstretch, it's your fault."

"You can try." Kagome gasped as Sesshomaru finally let her up, falling onto her back.

"The rest of the morning was spent with Kagome stretching in ways she hadn't believed were possible as Sesshomaru held her, making her repeat the stretches he had forced her to go through already until Kagome was so sore she could barely move.

Finally it was noon and Sesshomaru called a halt. Kagome lay on her back, panting from the exertion as sweat covered her. Slowly, she stood, following Sesshomaru back to the camp. "You're not eating?" Kagome asked.

Sesshomaru shook his head. "No, I do not require regular sustenance as often as you do."

'_Lost opportunity… could've poisoned his food or something.'_ Kagome sighed. _'Definitely a lost opportunity.'_

Sesshomaru and Kagome split ways at the camp, Kagome heading to lunch while Sesshomaru went to meditate. Once he was out of her hearing range, he growled to himself. He needed to clear his thoughts. While Kagome had stretched, Sesshomaru had enjoyed the close up view of her body as the training clothes stretched, showing her taught muscles and beautiful body.

Shaking his head, Sesshomaru changed direction to the tent where his generals would be. He needed to tell them of his plans, and rid his mind of the miko.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: This is the last chapter that I received from Namoru Kazahaki so everything after this will be my own words.

Kagome walked into the mess hall amid the talk and laughter. It was her first time seeing the army, and as she looked around, they were all engaged in conversations, at ease with themselves, something she hadn't thought would happen because they were demons. Lining up, Kagome retrieved her meal before walking towards the end of a empty table.

"Kagome?"

"Naguri, hey!" Kagome whipped around, glad to have someone to talk to.

"I just wanted to apologize for my actions at the well. I could smell your nervousness and you were a strange miko walking around during wartime…"

Kagome laughed, for some reason at ease with the black haired scout. "It's okay, I understand. I mean, in your place, I would've done the same thing."

Naguri relaxed, following Kagome to a seat before sitting down next to her. "I've been hearing a lot of rumors about you, word spreads quickly here."

Kagome blushed as she played with her food. "Really?"

"I've heard all sorts of things. When someone is carried into camp by Lord Sesshomaru, has him listening to their needs, and training with them, people talk." Naguri began to eat his lunch as he conversed easily.

Kagome followed his example and began eating too. "Wow, I didn't know people would talk about that."

Naguri grinned. "Well, those stories started after what happened this morning. I had morning watch, but trust me, you woke all the soldiers in the camp with that scream of yours. I heard Lord Sesshomaru dumped water on you?"

Kagome blushed again. "I did? I mean, I'm really sorry about that. He came and just dumped cold water all over me- and he was enjoying it too! He was smirking the entire time!"

Naguri chuckled. "It's rare for our Lord to do anything like that. Usually, he'd just order them up and they would be up. Though I'd think he'd prefer to just throw someone outside instead of use water."

"Well, he has a sense of humor, I guess." Kagome replied.

Naguri laughed out loud this time. "Humor? When Lord Sesshomaru shows humor, it usually means he's going to kill you."

Kagome took her time to chew and swallow before answering. "Well, I don't think he's going to kill me anytime soon."

Kagome looked at Naguri as he fell silent. _'She's right…Sesshomaru showed real humor, I don't believe he's shown any since his childhood. Interesting.'_ Instead of continuing the conversation, Naguri left, bidding Kagome a good afternoon as he did so.

Kagome finished her lunch in silence, wondering why Naguri had left so abruptly during their conversation. _'Maybe he forgot about something…?' _Kagome shook her head. While he might have enjoyed talking with her, duty always came first.

Sighing, Kagome took her tray and put it onto the stack, done with her lunch. Wandering around, she saw Sesshomaru the same time he saw her.

"Hi," Kagome greeted as Sesshomaru strode towards her, nodding his acknowledgement.

"Since you are done with your meal, we will start on the second part of training, physical combat, as in strengthening your body." Sesshomaru walked towards the field where they had stretched earlier. "You will also begin to learn the basic movements of fighting."

Kagome nodded, walking beside Sesshomaru, dreading what was to come. She had never been good at physical exercise, it just wasn't her thing.

"This is the first stance you will learn." Sesshomaru moved his feet apart and bent his knees, keeping his back straight and his fists up against his sides. "This is the horse stance, the basic stance that all techniques work with."

Kagome mimicked his movements, also falling into the horse stance. "Now stay there." Sesshomaru ordered. Kagome was able to hold the horse stance for five minutes, before Sesshomaru stopped her. "We can't have you tire too fast on one stance."

The rest of the afternoon continued much as the morning had, Sesshomaru working her leg muscles with various stances, forcing Kagome to do other exercises in between to give her legs time to rest. By the time she was done, she could barely move. Never before had she thought so, but now she felt as if she was weak, a thought that didn't settle well with her.

"Miko, we are done for now. This is your personal time, to eat dinner and rest as you wish." Sesshomaru turned to walk away, but stopped when he noticed Kagome wasn't moving. "We are done for now."

Kagome continued to lie on her back, panting from exertion. With a sigh, Sesshomaru approached her and picked her up in his arms. Kagome sighed, "Sorry Sesshomaru, I probably smell terrible right now."

"The smell is not distasteful to my senses, but you should start walking miko, your legs are wasting away."

"Hey! You're the one who keeps picking me up!"

"Miko, if I remember correctly, Kaede noted that it should have only took a few hours at most for you to recover from the weakness of your healing spell…care to explain why you stayed in my arms afterwards?" Sesshomaru smirked as Kagome reddened, blushing furiously.

"Bastard." Kagome muttered under her breath.

"It is not the fault of Sesshomaru that you cannot resist me holding you." The words came easily to Sesshomaru, though he had trouble voicing it. It had been years since he had teased anyone, but as Sesshomaru watched Kagome redden even farther, he felt it was worth it.

Kagome buried her head into Sesshomaru's arm, trying to stop blushing, for some reason completely at ease with the full blooded dog demon. Sesshomaru smirked as she did, deciding to take pity on her and change the subject. "Miko, after you eat, you will report to Kaede for training. I have already 

spoken to her. Tomorrow morning, training starts at the same time. After tomorrow, I will not warn you. When I come in, I expect you up."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Kagome said, the sound muffled by Sesshomaru's clothes.

"I am only accustoming you so you know what to expect when we travel." Further objection was stopped when Sesshomaru found Kaede inside her tent, waiting.

"Thank ye, Lord Sesshomaru. I will take over from here." Sesshomaru set Kagome down into a sitting position before exiting the tent.

"Sesshomaru's a slave driver." Kagome winced as she leaned forward, doing her best not to lie back down. Being carried had felt nice.

Kaede chuckled. "Back in my day, miko's also had training in the use of weapons. We were also taught how to use energy to boost performance, something ye seem to need if ye are to keep up with Lord Sesshomaru's training. This will most likely help ye the most, so we'll start there."

Kagome was excited by what she heard. If 'boosting performance' meant what she thought it was, she wouldn't be as sore and tired tomorrow! Mentally, Kagome cheered. "Now, call up the energy like you did this morning, but don't let it out, just release it into your body. It helps to start focusing on your arms first, then the rest."

Kagome gasped at the rush of energy she experienced, the soreness gone. Experimentally, Kagome extended her arm to the side. Her arm shot out locking her elbow and swinging partway behind her, nearly pulling a muscle. Hissing in pain, Kagome looked at Kaede for an explanation.

"Interesting…" Kaede noted. "Most beginners don't go that far…what you must have done was not only enhance your muscles so that they could function better, but the way ye obtained the speed… Were ye concentrating on your arm?"

Seeing Kagome's nod, Kaede continued. "If you had been concentrating, you would've noticed that instinctively, your energy grew stronger there for a moment, making ye move much faster than most miko's. It's an interesting ability that most cannot master, but some have by reflex. Very helpful."

"How fast am I?" Kagome asked in wonder. Now _this_ was something she liked.

"With training…ye should be as fast as most youkai…but not Lord Sesshomaru." Kaede finished when she saw the hopeful gleam in Kagome's eye. "It would take a lot of your energy to be at his speed.

"Ye can practice that more tomorrow with Lord Sesshomaru, we will go to the first lesson a miko learns: How to call up energy." Kaede instructed.

"Don't I already know how too?"

"Yes, child, but your control is dependent on your thoughts. Ye need more practice for better control. For this, we will meditate, then ye will come with me to the infirmary, where ye will heal soldiers using as little energy as possible." Kaede shifted on her mat, moving in a cross-legged position, one leg on top, one on bottom. "Come, meditate. First, be calm, relax…breathe slowly…then reach for your power…yes, then let it out as you exhale, bring it in as you inhale."

Kagome and Kaede sat in the tent, facing each other meditating until Kaede called a stop. "That is enough for today. Meditate before ye sleep, it will help calm ye and help ye sleep better. Now, to the infirmary."

Kagome spent the rest of the night with the wounded soldiers, listening to their tales. Most of them were grateful for her help while some were not awake when she worked. Many patients and doctors were wary with her, thinking that a miko would never heal youkai but got over their initial distrust. Some were even able converse with her.

As she healed, Kagome thought of Sesshomaru. It had been shocking to have Sesshomaru teasing her, conversing with her like he did. When he talked to her, she felt…special. She had never seen him, never heard of him being so…nice was the only word to use, to anyone before.

"Child, ye are done for today, go clean up." Kaede ordered tersely, concentrating on her patient.

Without answering, Kagome left, still thinking about Sesshomaru. It felt nice to just think about him, someone who didn't judge her, someone who would talk to her without an opinion about her. While he often remarked on her humanity and holy powers, she could feel it was more out of habit now than anything else.

Walking back to her tent, Kagome found clean clothes on her cot. Smiling, Kagome remembered the river nearby was very nice for bathing. Walking over, Kagome found, to her delight, that no one was present. While Kagome didn't mind bathing with another female—she had bathed many times with Sango— if there had been males there she wouldn't have known what to do.

With a happy sigh, Kagome slipped out of her clothes and into the water. "Mmm…" Kagome moaned as her muscles relaxed; they had become sore again after she had pulled her reiki back in from her body, though they were somewhat better. Kagome reached over for her shampoo—

"Shoot." Kagome realized. It was in her yellow bag…which was probably ashes by now. Sighing, Kagome did the best she could to get the day's sweat and grime out of her hair. She stood and bent at her waist to get the underside of her hair properly and when she was done, she quickly stood upright and flipped her hair over her head to her back. She continued to wash herself after that. When she had finally reached a semblance of cleanliness, she rinsed her body and climbed out.

"Kagome."

"Sesshomaru!" Kagome shrieked, quickly snatching the clean priestess robes from the ground and covering her bosom and hips with them. "What do you think you're—"

"Miko, we're leaving. There will be a large battle and I want to be across the border before it occurs." Sesshomaru turned away, trying to forget about the image that he had seen, Kagome rising out of the water, her skin glistening under the moonlight, and her hair arcing over her head with a graceful trail of water following. "It will give you more time to familiarize yourself to travel, and I will continue to teach you how to defend yourself."

"Kagome." Sesshomaru turned around as he heard her say her own name.

"Excuse me?"

"You have to call me Kagome now."


End file.
